Slab-sawing machine



(Nb Model.) 4Sheets-Sh eet 1.

A. T LINDERMAN.

SLAB SAWING MACHINE. No. 411,922. Patented Oct. 1, 1889-.

(No Model.)

. 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. T. LINDERMAN. SLAB SAWING MAGHINB. N0. 41L922.

ted 001;. 1, 1889 (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. A. T. LINDERMAN.

. SLAB SAWING MACHINE.

No. 411,922. Patented Oct. 1, 1889 ,2 llilllllllilllllllflllilll l G I au n n a 26 Z15 E W bwjzam A a e h S P t w h S 4 m m m HM DG A .qb TB .AAM A d o M 0 w Patented Oct. 1, 1889.

ses,

N PETERS, Pmbhlhographur, Walhington. D Q

ATENT rrrcn.

ALBERT T. LINDERMAN, OF WHITEHALL, MICHIGAN.

SLAB-SAWING MPICHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,922, dated October1, 1889.

Application filed February 12, 1887- Serial No. 227,451. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT T. LINDERMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Whitehall, in the county of Muskegon and State of Michigan,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Slab-Sawin g Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for sawing slabs fromlumber; and the object of my invention is to provide a machine to sawslabs that shall have a continuous feed, which feed is furnished by asuccession of moving carriages past the saw, provision being made forstopping, advancin g, or retreating the feed, and also for regulatingthe thickness of the lumber cut. I attain these objects by themechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa rear end view of the body of the machine, the feed-works beingsectional and drawn at the plane X X, Fig. 6. Fig. 2 is a plan View of acarriage-lag. Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of a carriage, drawn atthe plane Y Y, Fig. 2, this carriage being provided with spurs insteadof dogs. Fig. l is a sectional end view of the feed-works, drawn at theplane Z Z, Fig. 7. Fig. 5 is a front end view of the machine. Fig. 6 isa front view of the same. Fig. 7 is a plan or top view of the machine.

Similar reference-numbers refer to like parts throughout the severalviews.

The cast-iron side frames 1 and 2, fastened together by thefourcross-girders 3 4 5 (3,0011- stitute the frame of the machine, towhich the table or top 7 is firmly bolted.

The frame of the feed-works consists of the sill 8 and plate 9, boltedtogether, the bolts passing through the separating posts 10. Thisfeed-works frame is fastened adj ustably to the table 7 by bolts 11 and12, these bolts being used for adjusting the feed-works to regulate thethickness of the lumber cut, additional bolts 1-5 and 16 being used tofasten the frame when adjusted. The angleirons 17 and 18 are firmlyscrewed to the feedworks frame and furnish a guide for the top andbottom, respectively, of the carriages or lags 19, the edges of the sillS and plate 9 being preferably faced with a metal strap to form theguide and support to the back of the carriages. The endless feed chain,to

which these carriages are attached by means of the bolts 20, is drivenby the sprocket-wheel 22, Fig. 7, and a like one below it (not shown) onthe same shaft, which drives the lower endless feed-chain, and is alsoattached to the carriages along their lower ends by bolts 20, shaft 24,which turns these driving sprocket-wheels, being journaled to the end ofthe feed-works frame above and supported below by the box 25, attachedto sill 26, sill 26 being adj ustably fastened to the floor, so that itcan be varied according as the feedworks frame is changed to outdifferent thicknesses of lumber. *here only slight changes are made inthe feed-works frame, no change in this sill 26 need be made. Shaft 24is turned by pulley 27, which is driven by belt 28, the idler 29 servingto clear it from contact with the leg of the machine.

The idler sprocket-wheel 30, Fig. '7, and a similar one below it (notshown) are carried by a short shaft which is journaled in bearings tothe end of the bottom sill S and top plate 9 by boxes which areseparated from the ends of the sill and plate by the wedged bushing 33to take up the slack in the endless feed-chain and keep it taut. Theseboxes are fastened to the frame of the feed-works by long bolts withnuts inserted in slots 32, Fig. 7, and similar nuts, bolts, and-slots inthe sill below. (Not shown.)

It is desirable that the a soft-metal face to prevent injury to the sawin case it should run, and thus strike them. I therefore prepare a moldof the proper shape,

dogs 34 should have and, inserting the head of the bolt in it, cast a 3soft-metal head upon and about the head of the bolt that will fitlooselyin the hole in the carriage made to receive it. The soft metalshould reach far enough below the head of the bolt to well cover it upto about one-third of the bolts length. Back of this soft-metal head,and between it and the bottom of the well in the carriage in which thedog 34 plays, a light spiral spring is coiled about the bolt, having atendency to throw the bolt' out of the well, this being prevented by anot on the outer end .of the bolt. By means of this nut the distancewhich the dog protrudes beyond the face of the carriage may beregulated. I also cast a soft-metal face upon the bracket 37 to preventinjury to the saw in case of con- IOO tact with it. I find it to be aconvenient and substantial way to cast upon the carriage a boss with adovetailed tongue on it to hold the soft-metal face firmly to thecarriage. I

= use suitable attachments found in the link belt of commerce to fastento the carriage with the bolt 20. These attachments are then united tolike attachments upon the adjoining carriage by the common links, andthus form an endless feed-chain for moving the carriages.

The saw-arbor 39 is hung or journaled in boxes on the side framesl and2, having caps on their under side, thus allowing for the removal of thearbor 39 from below without raising the feedw0rks. This arrangement alsoleaves the tableplate 7 with an unbroken top surface,which allows thefeed-works frame to be set lower than if this were not the case.

The pulley 40 drives the saw-arbor from a belt 66 from above,suitablyconnected to the power that drives the machine. The conepulley 41 uponthe saw-arbor overhangs the frame of the machine and drives thefeedworks of the machine by a belt to cone-pulley 42,which turns shaft43. Upon this shaft are bevel friction-Wheels 4:4: and 45. Sliding inways 46 is the jacket 47, upon which, in suitable bearings, turns theshaft 48, upon the top of which shaft is fastened the bevelfriction-wheel 49. The screw 60, turning in the threaded nuts 51 at oneendand in the bracket 52 at the other end, operates to slide the jacket47 in the ways 46, and with it the bevel friction-wheel 49, to or fromeither driving bevel friction-wheel 4:4: or 45, or in the space between,touching neither. Hence, according as the screw be turned, the shaft 48will turn either way or remain idle. By means of a belt 28 from pulley53 this movement is imparted to pulley 27, and by said pulley to thefeed-works of the machine.

The presser-wheel 55 is hung loosely upon the shaft 56, upon which itturns, collar 57 holding it in place. The upper end of this shaft isfastened to gudgeons 58, which turn in cross-timbers above, as shown inFig. 5. One end of a weighted rope 59 being attached to the shaft 56,and the other end to timbers above, (not shown,) causes a constantpressure toward the feed-works to be exerted upon the presser wheel 55.To prevent its actual contact with the feedworks, the block 60 is boltedto the plate of the feed-works, the ar rangement allowing thepresser-wheel to conform tothe uneven surface of the slab and yet exerta constant pressure against it.

Shaft 61 is journaled in bearings on girders 5 and 6. Upon this shaft isthe idler 29. This idler prevents contact of the belt 55L with the frameof the machine. The spreader 62 is bolted to a bracket upon the frame ofthe machine and serves to spread the slab from the piece of lumber thathas been cut from it, .thereby preventing either from coming intocontact with the heel of the saw, and performs the further office ofkeeping the 1un1= a table.

To operate my machine, a man or smart.

boy, if the slabs be not too heavy, stands near the hand-wheel. 65, Fig.6, which he turns, thus starting the feed-works, sending the carriages19 from him toward the saw. He then lays the fiat side .of the slab 67to the can.

riages, resting its lower edge upon the brackets 37,, and presses theslab well .up against the carriages, which serves to press into theirrecesses all of the dogs 3st that are behind the slab. The ,flat side ofthe slab will now lie flat again st the face of the carriages. The

slab will ride along until it reaches the presser-wheel 55, theresistance of which may cause the slab tostop. It may then slide uponthe staves as they .pass until the first dog not pressed back by theface of :the slab comes in contactwith the end of the slab. This dogwill drive the slab before it, the slab raising the presser-wheel, whichthen keeps the slab in place against the face of the car riages. Theoperator can now release the slab and pick up another ready to followit. A boy stands back of the saw and takes away the lumber, or it may beallowed to drop on After the board has been cut from the slab the slabdrops on the floor, or, preferably, a table placed for this purpose onthe outside of the saw, and if the part of the slab Whiehthus falls offbe thick enough the sawyer picks it up and again puts it throughihemachine until it is cut up. If for any reason it is desired to back theslab out of the machine, the sawyer turns the hand-whel the proper wayand the feed-w0rks are reversed, the first free dog at the front end ofthe slab driving the slab back before it.

The adjustment of the feed-works by the bolts 11 and 12 is of coursenecessary to give the lumber the desired thickness.

By placing the carriages above the line .where the power is applied todrive-the saw the pull of the saw-teethis down in cutting, and therebythe slab is held down firmly against the supporting-foot of thecarriage. The added pressure thus given to the supporting-edge of theslab against the foot of the carriage assists by friction to hold theslab from a liability to slip on the carriage foot any more when theslab is driven into the cut of the saw than when simply riding anearly-continuous feed, the saw being in out nearly all of the time.Other machines for sawing slabs have been used in which the slab wasplaced on a carriage, which, by moving a hand-lever, fed past the saw,another movement of the lever gigging the carriage back, the constantattention of the sawyer and occupancy of the carriage being employed bythe slab while it was being sawed and gigged. This retards the cut fullyone-half.

I am also aware that prior to my invention slab-sawing machines havebeen used having a continuous roller-feed. These rollers werenecessarily in front of the saw, and do not suliiciently support ashort, knotty, and uneven slab while it is being cut.

Carriages upon the outside of the saw have been used, and I do not claimthe carriage moving past the saw upon the outside, I do not know of asuccession of carriages which furnish within themselves the gage of thethickness of the lumber out having been heretofore used to travel on theinside or back side of the saw-that is, on the side of the saw next toits driving-pulley.

I do not wish to confine myself to any particular style or kind of dogto be used upon carriages 19. In fact, I find that spurs of sharpenedsteel wire set in the face of the carriages, as shown in Fig. 3, answerin the majority of cases to carry the slab along with the carriages. Incase, however, the slabs are icy or very hard and these spurs do nothold, the first dog that comes along drives the slab before it, and Ihave found it practical to put dogs in only a portion of the carriagesand spurs in the others.

I am aware of the construction shown in patent to Hull, No. 13,354, anddisclaim the same.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a slab-sawing machine, the combination, with a saw for sawing theslabs, of an endless-chain system of carriages for carrying the slabs,means for regulating the space between the carriages and the saw,whereby the thickness of the lumber cut from the slab is regulated, woodor soft-metal faced supports upon the carriages for supporting theslabs, wood or soft-metal faced receding dogs in the carriages fordogging the end of the slab, whereby it is driven along with thecarriages, a reciprocating presser wheel ahead of the saw for holdingthe slab against the carriages, and suitable mechanism for stopping,starting, or reversing the feed of the carriages, substantially as setfort-h.

2. In slab-sawing machines, the combination, with a saw for sawing theslabs, of a moving endless-chain system of carriages provided withreceding dogs which recess in the carriages when covered by the slab,but become operative to dog the end of the slab when not so covered,whereby the slab is driven with the carriages, substantially as shownand described.

3. In slab-sawing machines, the combination, with a saw for sawing theslabs, of an endless-chain system of moving carriages provided with woodor soft-metal faced feet for supporting and carrying the slab while itis being cut, means for changing and regulating the distance of thetravel of the moving carriages from the saw, whereby the thickness ofthe lumber cut from the slab is regulated, and a presser-wlieel forholding the slab in position on the carriages, as set forth.

4. In the moving endless-chain system of carriages for slab-sawin gmachines, a carriage provided with wood or soft-metal faced recedingdogs for driving the slabs, whereby contact of the saw-teeth with saiddogs is rendered harmless to the saw-teeth, substantially as shown anddescribed.

5. In the moving endless-chain system of carriages for slabsawingmachines, a carriage provided with a wood or soft-metal faced footfor supporting the slab, whereby contact of the saw-teeth with said footis rendered harmless to the teeth of the saw, substantially as shown anddescribed.

6. The combination, in a machine for sawing slabs, of a saw for sawingthe slabs, an endless-chain system of moving carriages for carrying theslab, means for regulating the distance evenly of the carriages from thesaw, whereby the thickness of the lumber out is regulated, and thepresser-wheel 55, arranged to operate in holding the slab to thecarriages where they are regulated, substantially as set forth.

7. The machine for sawing slabs, consist ing, essentially, of a verticalcircular saw, a vertical flat-surfaced endless carrier moving parallelto the plane of the saw and provided with a bottom support for the slab,and dogs for dogging it at its rear end, and a presserwheel adapted toact upon the rough side of the slab, substantially as set forth,

ALBERT T. LINDERMAN Witnesses:

EDWIN J. SMITH, MAcNus A. GRANT.

